Aspiring jazz musicians in Turkey finally get summer academy / TODAY’S ZAMAN
The Cappadocia Jazz Days festival has just wrapped up its 2011 season, and there’s still two months until the Ankara Jazz Festival, which is preparing to mark its 15th year in February 2012.
But in between festivals, does jazz in Turkey cease to exist? Are there no jazz schools in the country? Where do aspiring jazz musicians in Turkey go?
Turkish jazz drummer Emre Kartari shares the good news: next summer the Aegean city of İzmir will host Turkey’s first-ever summer jazz academy. Preparations are already under way, Kartari says. Thanks to the summer camp, aspiring jazz musicians from Turkey will no longer have to seek jazz education overseas, saving for months just to attend a short two-week workshop abroad.
Unfortunately, higher education for jazz musicians in Turkey is still insufficient, explained Kartari in a recent interview. The Hacettepe University of Ankara formed its first jazz program approved by the state in 2010 with help from Kartari, who currently teaches at the Yaşar University in İzmir.
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